Blueshirt Banter is for everyone

Yesterday Greg Wyshynski wrote a piece about how the President’s ban on immigrants entering the United States from seven Muslim-centric countries impacted Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad and his family.

“Obviously being here now and living here doesn’t make it easier,” Zibanejad said. “That sucks, but I can’t comment more of how things are. Right now it just sucks.”

Zibanejad and his family are not alone. Countless families across the country (and planet) are now living with fear and uncertainty everyday. Because of where they were born, because of who they love, because of their gender and because of who they are.

And it sucks.

Politics is something we try to avoid on Blueshirt Banter for a reason. Lines get drawn and tempers flare and it doesn’t take long until things snowball into discussions that feel altogether out of place on a New York Rangers hockey blog. But we can’t ignore when politics makes a direct impact on the team we write about and the community of hockey fans that read our site.

We want to make it clear that Blueshirt Banter is for everyone and it always will be.

Regardless of your faith (or lack thereof), where you were born, who you love, your gender, the color of your skin, your physical health, your mental health or what hockey team you root for this place is for you. As long as you are decent and respectful to your peers, you belong here.

SB Nation’s guidelines make the network’s stance on intolerance very clear.

The following is not permitted in comments, FanPosts, usernames or anywhere else in an SB Nation community.

1. Comments, FanPosts or usernames that are intolerant or prejudiced  (sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, anti-religion, etc.) in  nature.

2. Personal attacks or threats on community members.

3. Gendered insults of any kind in comments, FanPosts or usernames.

At Blueshirt Banter we strive to be an inclusive community. But there is only so much the editors, writers and moderators can do. We’re asking you to help us by being kind, by being good-natured and by being inclusive.

You interact with faceless names on this site everyday. But behind the usernames, inside jokes and memes are real people. On any given day one of us might be living in fear. One of us might be struggling with our health. One of us may be fighting an exhausting, all-consuming battle that the rest of us know nothing about. And that person might only come to Blueshirt Banter for a laugh or to talk hockey and embrace a welcome distraction.

Remember that before your fingers type out an insult. Remember that before you dismiss someone’s opinion simply because it is out of fashion or you disagree with it.

Now more than ever we ask you to be kind to each other and to be good shepherds for this community.

Thank you for making this place what it is. Be good to yourself and to one another. Let’s go Rangers.